Previous Institutions: The University of Texas at Austin
What are you studying: Ph.D in Biochemistry & Cell Biology

My name is Esther Jimenez, I am a first-generation college graduate from the University of Texas at Austin with a BS in Biochemistry. I was part of the Freshman Research Initiative in the Virtual Drug Screening lab where I was introduced to research. As my passion for research grew, I began to obtain opportunities such as becoming a McNair Fellow and a BioXFEL Intern at Rice.

While at Rice, I enjoyed the graduate community and the cutting-edge science. Soon, I was accepted into the Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Rice and joined Dr. Caroline Ajo-Franklin’s lab where I study Engineered Living Materials. I also won the prestigious NSF GRFP my second year of graduate school. At Rice I am a member of the sustainability committee and the secretary of the BCB GSA. Outside of the lab and extracurricular activities, I love to go around Houston and try new foods, I have a foodie page called @letseathouston on Instagram. Furthermore, I enjoy baking and spending time with my cute corgi, Mocha. Lastly, I enjoy working out and painting!

Fun Fact:

I am a huge foodie and I have a cute corgi named Mocha.

Favorite thing about Rice:

The beautiful campus and the Rice graduate student community.

Favorite thing about Houston:

The wide diversity of foods from different cultures.

Why did you decide to go to grad school?

I decided to go to graduate school because I wanted to be intellectually challenged and carry out my research project from beginning to end. Moreover, I want to obtain new research technical skills and interpersonal skills that will equip me to have a successful future. Plus, being called Dr. Jimenez sounded amazing!